Guitar Lessons in El Paso, TX

Instruments: Piano Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar

When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
When I first started studying at UTEP I started to have the dream of becoming a professional musician and perform all over the world but as time went by and I started teaching I had the dream of becoming a professor and help people become the best they can be at the guitar and help them achieve their goals.

When will I start to see results?
Depends on each individual how efficient you practice and the passion you have for the guitar

Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
Yes, his name was John Siqueiros and I first met him when I was a sophomore in high school at the State UIL competition where I played some Brouwer for him. After I played for him he told me that I had a natural way of playing and that he was very impressed with how I played for being the only sophomore their. He told me to keep playing and to keep it up, that I would be a great guitar player one day. I later had lessons with Mr. Siqueiros while at UTEP and he would push me to the limit with really unorthodox ways of teaching but he is the reason I am here today.

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
This is a really complicated question to answer, I think depending on your skill level you find that a lot of things are difficult on the guitar as you try to get better. In my opinion I think the hardest for all guitarist is proper technique because without the proper technique you can really damage your hand and end up losing the ability to play. The guitar is a very demanding instrument both mentally and physically so you have to be playing correctly to not hurt yourself in the long run.

Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
Yes, I really like to use Christopher Parkening's Guitar method Book I for beginner students and once they have the hang on things I like to use Scott Tennant's Pumping Nylon to make sure they have a solid foundation in technique.

What is your dream piece to perform and why?
That's a really hard question, there's a lot of pieces I would call my dream piece but my top three would have to Mauro Giuliani's Guitar Concerto in A major Op. 30 because it is my all time favorite concerto and its always been my dream to perform along side an orchestra as a soloist. The second would be Pepe Romero's rendition of Bulerias by Sabicas because I think its the most interesting piece I have ever listened to and the last one is Nicolo Paganini's Caprice No. 24 transcribed for guitar because that is the first piece I listened to that made me be interested in classical guitar and want to be a performer.

If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
I would be an architect ,since I was about 8 years old I always loved houses and making different things with legos.

What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
My favorite styles to play is classical guitar because I can connect with the music very well and speak through my guitar what I am feeling.

If you play more than one instrument, how did you decide to start playing the second? (Or 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc)!
I also play piano but I started because it was a requirement for my music degree.

Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
Before me their isn't really anyone in my family that are musicians or that like music but I am certain my son will be a musician just like me

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
To help my students practice effectively I advise to practice everything super slow with a metronome. Making sure they are conscious of what their hands are doing, if they are playing the correct thing, etc. without overthinking and rushing their practice.

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